Place the potatoes and carrots in a deep saucepan and the beets in a separate deep saucepan. Add cold water to cover each by about an inch and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the vegetables can be pierced with a skewer or paring knife. (They are best cooked until slightly underdone since they will continue to cook as they cool.) Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon after about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and beets once they are done, about 25 minutes for the potatoes and 45 minutes for the beets. Refrigerate until cool.

Use your fingers and/or a paring knife to remove the peel from the beets, then cut the vegetable into ½ -inch dice. Peel and dice the potatoes the same way. Dice the carrots. Combine the potatoes and carrots, plus the beans, sauerkraut, pickles, onion, oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl and toss to incorporate. Gently fold in the beets.

Scrub, rinse and pat beets dry then rub with a small amount of olive oil and wrap tightly in foil (two beets per foil packet). Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until beets are tender and easily pierced with a knife. Allow to slightly cool then carefully remove skin. (The beets will stain your hands and clothing! So I use rubber gloves.) Set aside.

In a small, dry frying pan toast walnuts until slightly browned. Set aside.

In a small owl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and walnut oil then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Once skin is removed slice beets width-wise into three or four sections (depending on the size of the beet.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place whole and unpeeled beets in a foil packet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 1 – 1 /12 hours until just tender. You don’t want mushy beets. When beets are cooled, peel off skin with your hands and slice.

Layer beets, onion, basil and avocado on a plate. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Prick beets in several places, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 3 hours (see note above for alternative cooking), or until soft. Peel and cut into a 1/4 inch julienne. Do not grate or cut the beets with a – this releases too much juice and the fermentation process will proceed too quickly, so that it favors formation of alcohol rather than lactic acid.
Place beets in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beets, adding more water if necessary to cover the beets. The top of the beets should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

Dice sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel fresh beets (can use red, golden or a combination — please be careful with red beets because their color bleeds) and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

Toss on a baking sheet with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, tossing occasionally until the vegetables are soft.

While the vegetables are cooking, blanch the kale to reduce bitterness and soften the greens. To blanch, stir the chopped kale leaves into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, then run under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Rinse 1/2 cup of quinoa (skip this step if you bought pre-rinsed quinoa), put the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup of water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the flame down to a low heat, cover the pot, and let the quinoa simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Ingredients for horseradish dressing

1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. horseradish

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. low sodium vegetable stock

Put all ingredients in a container, put the lid on, and shake vigorously to combine. You can also use a blender, if preferred.

Combine the cooked vegetables and quinoa with the horseradish dressing. Can be served warm, room temperature or cold. Serves 4

1. In two batches, puree cucumbers, beets, onions, and parsley in processor or blender, then blend in the chicken broth, seasonings and sour cream; transfer to a container. Taste for seasoning, adding reserved beet juice to taste. Refrigerate several hours or for several days before serving.

In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread the potatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss the beets with the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer on a second baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons water to the beets. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown, stirring halfway through. If the beets start to look dry, add a little more water. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: Add the mayonnaise to a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk and mustard. Set aside.

Transfer the cooked potatoes and beets (and any accumulated beet juices) to a salad bowl. Add the celery, green onions, dill, the dressing and some salt and pepper. Toss to coat well with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Just before serving fold in the blue cheese.

This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are loaded with nutrients. One glass morning and night is an excelent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments. Beet kvass may also be used in place of vinegar in salad dressings and as an addition to soups.

3 medium or 2 large organic beetroot, peeled an chopped up coarsely.

1/4 cup whey made fresh from raw milk, leave raw milkon the bench it will turn to cheese and whey within a few days (if fresh whey is not available just add another tablespoon of sea salt)

1 tablespoon sea salt

filtered water

Place beetroot, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at rooom temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.

When most of liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.

Note: Do not use grated beetroot in the preparation of beet tonic. When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.